Trinity Mirror merger sees creation of Media Scotland

Trinity Mirror is merging its national and regional businesses in Scotland under one business umbrella, in a move which will see the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail join together with sister company and publisher of local titles Scottish and Universal Newspapers (S&UN).

The merger will result in the creation of Media Scotland, which the company is hailing as "Scotland’s biggest publishing business", and will include its national daily and Sunday titles, plus 20 local newspapers including the Ayrshire Post and Stirling Observer, Business Insider magazine, an events division and 36 local and commercial websites.

The restructure will see one immediate change in staffing, with Bruce Waddell, editor-in-chief of the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail stepping down after eight years. This comes after an announcement by Trinity Mirror in June of 90 job cuts at the Daily Record and Sunday Mail.

According to a release a new management group has also been appointed which will oversee the development of the business to "deliver unrivalled scale and reach across the Scottish market, reaching 1.5 million readers each weekday and 1.1 million readers on a Sunday".

The release adds that "in addition it will reach 2.6 million unique digital users a month".

The changes will not result in any immediate job losses apart from Waddell's departure, a spokesman for Trinity Mirror told Journalism.co.uk.

Asked whether the move could see more editorial content sharing across titles, he said: "Clearly it gives us better platforms for advertisers and clearly there will be opportunities to share more content".

The new management team will be tasked with looking at the business as a whole, including its multiple office locations, with the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail based in Glasgow and Scottish and Universal Newspapers based in Hamilton.

"All of that will be considered by the new management," the spokesman said.

In a statement Mark Hollinshead, managing director of Trinity Mirror Nationals, who will extend his responsibilities to include managing director of Media Scotland, added that the "creation of Media Scotland denotes the start of a dynamic new era in Scottish media".

"With our unique blend of national and local content, the combined reach of our portfolio of print and digital brands will deliver unrivalled coverage across the Scottish market. I look forward to working with our new top team in the exciting times ahead."

The new management structure for Media Scotland includes two key appointments: Allan Rennie, previously editorial development director for Trinity Mirror Nationals, who has been appointed as editor-in-chief of Media Scotland, with responsibility for all titles and editorial web sites.

Also Bill Steven, previously managing director of S&UN, has been appointed business development director for Media Scotland.

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